LR-based HopeLight Drabbles
by Cissmoll
Summary: Drabbles and ficlets about our favorite OTP based on the Lightning Returns universe. Not spoiler free. [No. 6] Fireworks.
1. Shooting Stars

**For hoperai week. Prompt: Space.**

"Does the sky look the same here as in the old world?" Lightning asked, staring up at the stars above them.

"No. Everything's different, actually. Different stars, different planets, different everything," Hope answered.

They were lying next to each other on a blanket in the garden outside their house, waiting for a meteor shower to begin. According to Hope, the shower was called "the Perseids" and was an annual thing on Earth. Lightning wasn't really that interested in astronomy, but she'd agreed to watch it with him anyway. Hope was excited enough for both of them.

It was the middle of August, and the night was unexpectedly chilly. Lightning shuddered, regretting not putting on a thicker sweater. Hope immediately pulled her closer to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her body.

"Cold?" he asked, moving his hand up and down her arm, trying to cause some warming friction.

"A little. But it's okay," Lightning said with a smile. She moved her head a little to the side, letting it rest in the crook of Hope's neck. "Tell me about them. The stars."

"What do you mean, 'the stars'? Like, all of them?"

"Yes. I like hearing you talk about stars."

Hope laughed and kissed the top of Lightning's head. "You'll definitely regret saying that."

Hope talked for hours, and Lightning didn't regret it even once. Hope had been studying astronomy ever since they came to Earth, and he already knew more about Earth's night sky than Lightning had ever known about the one in their old world.

Hope suddenly stopped talking in the middle of a sentence and pointed at the sky.

"Look, it's starting," he said just as another bright light crossed the sky.

"It's beautiful," Lightning said, a wide smile playing on her lips. Back in the old world, she'd never had time for things like stargazing. Back then, she'd never had time for love, either. _But here I am_, Lightning thought, _stargazing and in love_.

"The earthlings have this tradition – remember the fireworks of Bodhum?" Hope said, drawing circles on her arm with his thumb. "How people used to make a wish when they saw them? Apparently, the earthlings do the same thing when they see shooting stars."

"That's a nice tradition," Lightning said. She sank into her own thoughts for a moment, just watching the meteors light up the sky.

"I don't think I can come up with a single wish," she finally said. "Everything's just… perfect."

Hope moved his hands so he could grab her by the waist, and Lightning let out a tiny yelp as he placed her on top of him. "Now everything's perfect," he said, grinning smugly.

"Shit, Hope, I'm heavy," Lightning protested, trying to roll off him.

"No, you're not," Hope answered, wrapping his arms around her to hold her in place.

"I'll crush you."

"No, you won't," Hope said, still grinning at her. "Without all that armor you used to wear, you're actually pretty tiny."

Lightning shook her head, unable to hide her smile. "Shut up," she said, looking down on her fiancé. He was beautiful; even more beautiful than he'd been when he'd led the Academy. He'd carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders back then, and his eyes had been haunted by stress and lack of sleep. He still had problems sleeping sometimes – and so did she, for that matter – but now they had each other. Together, they could chase away the nightmares.

Lightning leaned down and pressed her lips against his. Hope smiled before answering the kiss, his arms tightening around her. She sighed, savoring the waves of emotions rushing through her body. Six months ago, she hadn't thought she'd ever get to experience emotions like that again. _But here I am_, she thought, clasping the fabric of Hope's shirt in her hands as he kissed her senseless under the stars.

_Here I am. _


	2. I do

Lightning took one last look in the mirror, making sure none of her stubborn pink locks had escaped from the complicated hairdo. Serah had braided it and pinned it to her head in a soft bun, and Lightning had to admit that it actually looked pretty good. She took a deep breath before leaving the dressing room, feeling slightly nauseous.

Hope, dressed in a black suit and a light blue tie, was waiting for her right outside the door. For a moment he just stared at her, mouth slightly ajar.

Lightning blushed. "I look weird, don't I?" she said, anxiously crossing her arms.

Hope blinked and shook his head. "No. No, no. Absolutely not," he said, giving her a warm smile. "You're perfect. You're better than perfect. I just… The dress – it's _that_ dress, isn't it? From back then?"

Lightning nodded. "It's the one from the performance in Yuusnan. Well, it's not exactly the same, but I tried my best to draw all the details I could remember on the sketch I gave the seamstress… Do you like it?"

Lightning did a quick twirl, the white fabric flowing around her legs. The dress she'd worn in Yuusnan had been magenta-colored, but white had been her obvious choice for the replica. Even though Lightning's sketch had been pretty bad, the seamstress had done a wonderful job. She'd even managed to recreate the intricate rose-looking folds where the bodice met the skirt.

"It's perfect. You're perfect. Everything's perfect," Hope said, practically glowing with happiness. He sighed, shaking his head. "I want to kiss you so badly right now."

Lightning smiled. "You're going to have to wait like, five minutes."

Music started playing behind the closed double door in front of them, the organist taking the first notes of Mendelsohn's famous march. Lightning swallowed hard. On the other side of the doors were all her friends and family, waiting for her and Hope to make their entrance. Lightning had never been more nervous in her whole life.

"What if I mess up?" she said, beginning to panic. "I'm wearing heels. I can't walk in heels. What if I trip? What if I-"

"You won't. You'll be absolutely perfect, and if you fall, I'll catch you. I promise," Hope said, holding out his arm. "Do you trust me?"

Lightning nodded, linking her arm with his just as the doors to the chapel opened up before them.

"I do."


	3. The Miqo'te Dress

"Why don't you sit down and relax for a while?" Hope said, his eyes never leaving the monitors above his desk. "I've already told you that time doesn't pass when you're up here. You should rest."

Lightning sighed and reluctantly sat down on the sofa in the corner of the Ark. She'd been saving souls for six full days, and even though her body no longer needed sleep to function, her mind still got tired. She leaned back against the backrest, and then quickly jumped back up on her feet after accidentally putting her weight on her tail.

"I hate this damn outfit," she muttered, taking great care of keeping the twitching tail out of her way as she sat down again. The tail kept moving back and forth as if it had a life of its own, refusing to stay curled up in her lap. Lightning sighed in annoyance. According to Hope, the outfit had once belonged to a miqo'te, but in Lightning's eyes it could just as well have belonged to an oversized cat. She unconsciously started scratching herself behind her ear. The places where the white fur connected with her normal skin were constantly itching, and she still wasn't used to having a tail. The magic abilities the outfit gave her were powerful enough for her to keep wearing it, but not powerful enough for her not to hate it.

Lightning closed her eyes. The sofa was unexpectedly comfortable, and the repetitive sound of Hope typing on his computer was strangely relaxing. She decided that taking a few minutes of rest wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Lightning had almost drifted off completely when the tapping sound from Hope's keyboard suddenly stopped.

"What's that sound?" he asked.

"What sound?"

"A humming sound. It's not coming from my computer… Light, are you the one causing it?"

"I don't think so, no."

Lightning could hear Hope leave his chair and approach her, but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. For the first time in ages, she actually felt relaxed.

"It's definitely coming from over here," he mumbled, stopping in front of her. "I don't understand what... no. No way." Hope's voice went from confusion to astonishment.

"What?" Lightning opened an eye to give Hope a skeptic glare. She could tell that Hope was trying his very best not to laugh, but he wasn't exactly succeeding.

"What?" she repeated, opening her other eye to intensify her glare.

"Light, you're purring. You're actually purring."

Lightning blinked, her tail twitching. She was just about to deny it when she realized that something inside her really was vibrating. She touched her throat, confirming that the buzzing sound really was coming from her larynx.

"Hope, how do I stop it?" She tried to swallow the sound, but her throat just wouldn't stop vibrating. "I don't know how to stop it!"

"This is priceless," Hope said, now laughing openly.

Lightning left the sofa, stomping towards the teleporter. "That's it, I'm never wearing this outfit again," she said, angry and embarrassed.

"Light, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just so adorable," Hope said, taking a deep breath to calm down from the laughing fit. "Seriously, wait up. I have things I need to talk to you about before you leave."

Hope grabbed her arm to stop her. Lightning tried to tell him to let go, but all that came out of her mouth was a loud hiss. A very cat-like, loud hiss.

Hope stared at her for a moment before losing it again, tears of laughter escaping from his eyes. Lightning yanked her arm free from his grip and rushed to the teleporter.

"Never again," she growled, leaving the Ark and the still laughing Hope behind her. "Never, _ever _again.


	4. Lumina's Final Task

**A/N: I guess this is Hope/Light even though Light isn't technically in it. ShadowMeowth ( u/3491479/ShadowMeowth) asked me to write a bit of Hope/Lumina as an under-branch of Hope/Light, so I gave it a shot. **

* * *

Hope was alone.

He wasn't completely sure exactly where he was. He'd said goodbye to Lightning and then he'd disappeared, dissolving into thin air. The world had turned into darkness. That's where he was now; a dark, empty void between realities. _But I got to say goodbye, _he thought, trying hard to keep his intensifying feelings of panic at bay. _Even if I'm stuck in this nothingness forever, I at least got a chance to say goodbye. _

"Wow. It's a bit dark and gloomy in here, don't you think?"

Hope looked up, following the sound of the female voice. A girl surrounded by a shroud of light was slowly descending, illuminating the dark emptiness. She was dressed in a black dress and had her pink hair tied up in a ponytail on the side of her head.

"Serah? Is that you?" Hope asked when he noticed the familiar hairstyle.

"Nope," the girl said with a giggle, her feet connecting with the ground right in front of him. "Name's Lumina. It means 'brilliant lights' in Latin. Look it up."

"Who are you?" Hope looked at her in confusion and wonder. The girl was skinny, slightly shorter than him and probably in her early teens. He looked into her eyes and suddenly realized that he recognized her.

"You're Light," he said breathlessly. "A younger Light."

Lumina giggled again. "You're a lot smarter than the others, aren't you?" she said, neither confirming nor denying Hope's statement. "What led you to that conclusion?"

"The eyes," Hope said, reaching out a hand to stroke Lumina's messy bangs from her forehead. "I'd recognize those eyes anywhere."

The teasing smile on Lumina's lips faltered and faded away. "You don't have to be nice to me. I'm not her," she said. "I'm just the part of her she locked away when she suddenly decided to grow up. I'm the weaknesses she ignored, the emotions she suppressed. I'm the part she cut away from herself to become Lightning."

She looked down on the ground, her eyes – Lightning's eyes – filling up with tears. Before Hope could stop himself he'd wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest.

"What's wrong with you? I tell you I'm not her and this is how you react." Her voice had regained its teasing tone, but her body was still trembling.

"When I first heard about Light's childhood, I couldn't stop thinking about how I just wanted to meet her younger self, hold her, wrap a blanket around her and tell her that everything would be okay," Hope said, soothingly stroking the girl's back. "I don't have any blankets and I have no idea how things will turn out from here, but at least I can hold you. So that's what I'm doing."

Lumina snorted. "You really do have a god complex. You take yourself too seriously, you know that?" She took a step back, ending the embrace. "My time here is running out and I didn't come here to cuddle. I came to prepare you. She's fighting _him _now, and when she defeats him she's coming for you. You're going to have to make a choice. Make the right choice, and we'll meet again."

Lumina started floating upwards again, her feet no longer touching the ground.

"Wait!" Hope yelled after her. "What choice?"

"You'll see. She'll try to convince you to do the opposite thing, because that's how she is. Do the right thing, Hope. Please, save her. Save _us._"

Hope could no longer see the girl, only the light surrounding her. "I will. I promise. Whatever the choice is, I'll always choose her. I will save her."

Lumina giggled. "I know you will. You're a fool in love."

Hope shrugged and smiled, not confirming nor denying her statement either. "It was nice meeting you, Lumina."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Hope," Lumina said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "Thank you for the hug."

With those words she left him, taking her light with her. Hope was once again alone in the dark, empty void – but he was no longer afraid. He didn't know what awaited him or what choice he would have to make, but he was ready for it.

_I will save you, _he thought determinately. _Both of you. _


	5. The night Lightning sang

"What's wrong?" Hope asked, noticing the strange, slightly nervous look on Lightning's face. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

He was holding her tight in his arms, moving to the rhythm of the music. Neither of them was especially good at dancing, but it didn't matter. It was the night of their wedding, and everything was perfect. Lightning was looking more beautiful than ever in her white dress, but the hint of nervousness worried him.

"No, of course not," Lightning said with a smile. "Everything's perfect. I just promised myself I'd do this… thing."

"Okay," Hope said, feeling both relieved and curious. "What kind of thing?"

"I… You know how you always say you want to hear me sing?"

"Yeah?" Hope said, his smile widening. Serah had once told him that Lightning used to sing all the time when she was younger and that she actually had a beautiful voice. He'd tried to make her sing for him but she'd always refused.

Lightning swallowed hard and then leaned closer, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You, rest inside my mind," she sang quietly, her lips close to his ear so only he would hear her. She continued to sing the lyrics of the song she'd picked out for their first dance. In that moment, Hope felt truly blessed.

When the song ended, Lightning pulled back a little, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Happy now? I'm not doing that again."

"Very happy," Hope said with a pleased sigh. "And you're definitely doing that again. Serah's right, your voice is wonderful."

Lightning frowned. "I'm not doing it again," she repeated.

"You just promised you'd spend the rest of your life with me. Which means I've got a long, _long _time to convince you," Hope said with a teasing grin. "Still not having second thoughts?"

"Shut up," Lightning muttered, unable to stop a smile from reaching her lips. It had been a long journey for both of them, but they had finally reached their destination. They were together and they were finally happy.


	6. Fireworks

"Does anyone want more hot chocolate?" Serah said, putting down her camera in her lap before pulling out a thermos from her bag. "I know it's a bit colder than we expected but it will be worth it, I promise."

"Of course it will," Snow said with a grin. "It will be just like back in Bodhum." He wrapped his arm around Serah's slim shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.

The whole gang had gathered outside Snow's and Serah's house to watch fireworks. Serah had come up with the idea to recreate Bodhum's fireworks festival from the old world to celebrate the six months anniversary of joining the new world. Back on Cocoon, the climate had always been pleasantly warm thanks to the fal'Cies and the winters on Pulse had all been very mild. They had been in the new world for half a year, but the gang was still a bit unused to the whole concept of "cold".

"Bodhum was never this cold," Lightning muttered, crossing her arms. She was wearing her usual white shirt and chinos, too stubborn to admit her outfit was more suited for summer than late autumn.

Hope immediately removed his jacket and draped it over Lightning's shoulders. "Don't," he said before Lightning could protest. "Unlike a certain stubborn ex-soldier I know, I actually dressed for the weather and put on an extra sweater. Take the jacket. I get cold just by looking at you."

Lightning gave him a halfhearted glare before putting on the jacket properly. She was still shivering a little so Hope decided to pull her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her to share his body heat. Lightning's eyes widened in surprise and for a moment Hope thought she'd punch him. Then, he could feel her body relax as she accepted his gesture.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She'd fixed her gaze on the ground, her cheeks turning pink. Hope decided that it was probably just from the cold. The other alternative was simply too unlikely.

"Any minute now," Serah said, checking her wristwatch.

Vanille, sitting on a blanket next to Fang, giggled in anticipation. They'd all paired up when the blankets had been brought out; Serah and Snow, Fang and Vanille, Noel and Yeul, and Sazh and Dajh. This was how they always ended up. Hope didn't mind it at all since it meant he would always end up with Lightning.

Suddenly, the sky exploded with color. They all gasped in wonder, watching one firework after another light up the sky.

"This is amazing!" Noel said, laughing with astonishment.

"I wish Caius could have seen this," Yeul said, just as astonished. Hope realized that this was probably the first time they saw fireworks.

"This is really making me nostalgic," Lightning breathed, a wide smile on her lips. "I've missed this. The fireworks in Yuusnan were beautiful too but I couldn't fully appreciate them back then."

Hope could feel her body relax even more against his. She leaned closer, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Hope flinched, not expecting the movement.

"I'm sorry," Lightning said, quickly pulling back. "I didn't mean to do that."

Their eyes met. Hope knew he should look away, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. He noticed he could see reflections of the fireworks in her eyes. She was even more beautiful than usual, something Hope hadn't thought was even possible. Her lips parted. Hope didn't know why, but Lightning wasn't looking away either.

Before Hope could stop himself he'd leaned closer and gently pressed his lips against hers. She gasped, but didn't pull away. He, on the other hand, quickly turned away, his face turning red._ I kissed Lightning Farron, _Hope thought, his heart pounding out of control in his chest. _I'm dead. She's going to kill me. I'm dead. _

When he dared to look at her again, he thought she'd be furious with him. She wasn't. Instead, she was blushing, smiling shyly. She was still sitting right next to him, allowing him to keep his arm around her. Hope smiled back, joy spreading through his chest. _That went better than expected, _he thought, turning his focus back to the fireworks. Lightning returned to her previous position, resting her head on his shoulder. They were both still blushing furiously, but they also shared a silly grin.

"Took them long enough," Fang commented with a grin. Vanille giggled, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek.

"I can't believe I caught it on camera," Serah squealed. "Guys, I caught it on camera! I caught their first kiss on camera!"

The gang all burst out laughing. After all, they'd all been waiting for this for a long, _long _time. If Hope and Lightning could hear them, they didn't show it, focusing on each other and the fireworks.

Serah sighed with happiness, moving closer to Snow. Everything was finally the way it should be. They were together, and they were all finally happy.


End file.
